* Originally scheduled for the Liberty Theater (through Famous Daves) on West 42nd Streei, that venue was suddenly closed by the police just hours before show time (no fault of ours). Some fabulous friends and good spirits in the club community found a way to make this happen at BB King's. Our thanks to all and specially the heroic Nomi, who put on a most memorable and inspirational concert with her band.

Nomi Ruiz’s sophomore solo release, Borough Gypsy, is a lo-fi cassette tape trip down memory lane. Using the grit of 90’s Hip Hop combined with R&B and acoustic folk elements, Ruiz relives intimate moments of her life growing up in Brooklyn through song. Topped with her somber vocal arrangements as well as catty alter-ego rhymes, Ruiz weaves the tale of an urban gypsy who wheels and deals in sex, love, drugs, and darkness.

Ruiz’s performance features self-directed video portraits, as well as costumes and set choreography inspired by the gritty, sexy, and transient nature of life in New York City. Borough Gypsy, an album 10 years in the making, was completed during Ruiz’s two month residency at the Clocktower Gallery.

'Borough Gypsy' Mixtape available for free download May 14th from Clocktower Radio.

After Hours brings experimental, multimedia programming to select, distinctive venues around Times Square on a monthly basis, and the Liberty Theater is as distinctive as it gets. The historic and newly renovated facility, which was originally built in 1904, still showcases all of the original architectural details. Alanna Heiss, Clocktower Director, says: “Imagine walking down 42nd Street, through a BBQ joint, and into this historic theater—it’s like entering a time warp. The Liberty Theater evokes old Times Square, and Nomi Ruiz is the perfect performer for the space. She, too, takes me back to another time—disco divas of the Studio 54 era come to mind— while embracing the music of today such as Nu-disco and Hip Hop, and creating her own sound. The space and the artist merge together in a unique and exciting way, a perfect combination for Times Square.”

After Hours is a collaboration between Times Square Arts, the public arts program of the Times Square Alliance, and the Clocktower Gallery, the legendary alternative art space. The program is curated by Alanna Heiss, Clocktower Director, and Joe Ahearn, Clocktower Curator of Performance and Installation, in collaboration with the Clocktower curatorial team, Beatrice Johnson, Jim Toth, and Tim Goossens.

For more information, visit TimesSquareNYC.org/AfterHours
Follow After Hours on Twitter using #AfterHoursTSq @TSqArts

Artist/singer Nomi Ruiz (Jessica 6, Hercules + Love Affair) has been working in our new recording studio finishing a new EP and now she has set up a Fantasy Exhibition & Listening Room to share costumes, ephemera, video, sounds and stories. She has a great blog for you to follow her daily explorations at nomiruiz.tumblr.com.
Singer/Songwriter Nomi Ruiz unveils her sophomore solo release Borough Gypsy, an album that has been in the works for 10 years and was completed during her two month residency at the Clocktower Gallery. Nomi takes the listener on a lo-fi cassette tape trip down memory lane using the grit of 90’s Hip Hop combined with Soul and acoustic folk elements. She relives intimate moments of her life growing up in Brooklyn, New York at a time when gang culture ran rampant. Topped with her poetic journalism, somber vocal arrangements and catty alter-ego rhymes, she weaves the tale of an urban gypsy who wheels and deals in sex, love, drugs, and darkness while sifting through the psychological effects of her upbringing.

Jeannie Hopper speaks with singer/songwriter Nomi Ruiz about her recent Clocktower residency project. Over the course of her two month stay, Ruiz completed Borough Gypsy, her sophomore album. She talks about growing up in Brooklyn in the midst of gang culture and how that environment affected her work, particularly the recording of this album. Having taken 10 years to complete, Borough Gypsy is a combination of 90's Hip Hop, Soul, and acoustic folk that embraces the mixed tape format. In its entirety, Ruiz tells the tale of an urban gypsy who wheels and deals in sex, love, drugs, and darkness while sifting through the psychological effects of her upbringing.
Born in 1986, Ruiz released her first album, Lost in Lust, in 2005. Since its debut, she has toured with artists such as Debbie Harry and CocoRosie. She also toured with Antony & The Johnsons as part of their “Turning” project. She then received worldwide recognition for her vocal contribution on Hercules and Love Affair’s self titled debut album and live show. In 2009, Ruiz formed the group Jessica 6 with Andrew Raposo (of Automato) and Morgan Wiley. They debuted “Fun Girl” that year and released the full album 'See The Light' in 2011. She has since collaborated with The Ones, Beni, and Eli Escobar.

As part of Times Square Arts and the Clocktower Gallery’s After Hours series, singer-songwriter-producer Nomi Ruiz performed songs from her new album Borough Gypsy, live for the first time: much of the material was recorded or refined during her residency at the Clocktower Gallery. The performance took place May 9, 2013 at BB Kings Blues Club in Times Square. This is a program produced during her residency in advance of the performance.
Jeannie Hopper speaks with singer/songwriter Nomi Ruiz about her recent Clocktower residency project. Over the course of her two month stay, Ruiz completed Borough Gypsy, her sophomore album. She talks about growing up in Brooklyn in the midst of gang culture and how that environment affected her work, particularly the recording of this album. Having taken 10 years to complete, Borough Gypsy is a combination of 90's Hip Hop, Soul, and acoustic folk that embraces the mixed tape format. In its entirety, Ruiz tells the tale of an urban gypsy who wheels and deals in sex, love, drugs, and darkness while sifting through the psychological effects of her upbringing.